Chiang Rai City Adventures---February 13 to 17, 2020

It was a big contrast between my experiences in Chiang Mai with its many Buddhist temples, and night market and my overnight trek to visit four different Hilltribe communities.

I checked into the Jomson Guesthouse at 450 Baht per night.  It was just a short walk from the Chiang Rai bus station and near the Wat Jed Yot.

In the evenings, I visited the nearby night market where I found a replacement for my old Chiang Mai man bag.  The repairs done on the old one did not hold plus the seamstress sewed up the damage and made the small portion of the bag too small for my mini iPad.  The new one was just 150 Baht and I like the pattern better than the old one which I gave to the vendor.

There were two food courts and I ate at the one with the yellow tables and featured many hot pot restaurants. I bought a hot pot consisting of chicken, chicken liver, squid, fish, and shrimp that cost just 150 Baht.  One of the plates I was given included greens like cabbage, basil, onions, and lemongrass.  It also included a big bundle of enoki mushrooms. They delivered the hot pot full of broth and told me how much time I should allow for the meats to cook—2 to 5 minutes.  It was a fun experience while entertainment played on the far stage.     

In the daytime, I toured a number of wats and places including the King Mengral Monument, the Governor's Mansion, Wat Klang Wiang, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Ngam Wuang, Wat Mung Wuang, and the Daru Aman Mosque.

There were two clock towers just a few blocks apart and the Golden Clock Tower featured a light show three times per evening.

There was also a floral garden near the Hilltribe Museum and Education Center that featured a heart-shaped tunnel filled with orchid plants.

The Hill tribe museum was an interesting introduction to the several Hill tribe ethnic groups but had not been updated to reflect what I would see on my overnight trek to visit several of the Hill tribe communities.

One of the disturbing things I learned which may no longer apply is that if an Akha woman gives birth to twins, she is expected to kill the twins or leave the community with them.  It was their belief that only animals are to have multiple births and the birth of twin humans was unnatural and less than human.  

For the different tribal groups, there were pictures and clothing that were representative of each tribe.  Currently, this clothing is only worn on auspicious occasions like funerals, marriages, and festivals.  Most daily clothing now looks like Goodwill hand me downs.

My next blog entry describes my two-day trek to the Hill tribe communities northwest of Chiang Rai.